Alternate Ending
by SocialTurtle
Summary: After the fever ends, Matilda wonders if her mom will ever come back and if she can handle her mom never coming back.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fever 1793, Laurie Anderson does._

_Alternate ending-(**I**_** had to write an alternate ending for this story for school so I thought,"Why not put it _on fanfiction?" So I did.)_**

_November 8, 1793_

"_If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character… would you slow down? Or speed up?"_

_- Chuck Palahniuk (American Novelist), 1961_

_As the days slowly turned to weeks, I caught myself wondering if mother was ever coming back. Nathaniel kept his promise and came to the coffeehouse almost every day. Eliza told me to stop worrying about it, mother would come back, and everything would be alright in the world. Still, it did not keep my worrying thoughts away. Every day I would look at the coffeehouse's front door and wait for mother to suddenly walk in and order me to start doing my chores. She never did come. I slowly started to think the worst of probable events._

'_What if she died on the way to the Ludington's?' 'No Mattie stop worrying!' I told myself. The yellow fever had taken so many it would be likely that it would have taken mother. Still, I pushed the thought away. Mother would have never let the Lord take her without a fight. She would never leave me to fend for myself. I had already figured out that I am not a little girl anymore. I can fend for myself._

_I have been taking care of little Nell. That does sustain that I can take care of other people and support myself at the same time. I have to get myself to think victorious thoughts. Mother wouldn't want me to pester myself._

_I think of all the things that have happened through this year. I thought of when the fever began, Mother getting the fever, and Grandfather dying. All of that taught me I had to grow up. _

_I woke up with Silas trying to catch a mouse. I turn over in my bed and look at the bed beside me. Mother would be down stairs fixing breakfast. I sighed and got up. 'Mattie, get over it she's not coming back', I told myself._

_I got up from my bed and prepared for the day. After I was finished getting dressed, I pass Eliza's bedchamber. I heard a soft snore and saw the boys lying on their bed, hugging each other.-(**JUST IMAGINE THE PRECIOUS CUTENESS!)**_

_I slowly walked down the stairs. I imagined what today was going to be like. Will it be crowded in the evenings like every week? I laughed to myself. It would most likely be like that. Ever since the coffeehouse opened its doors once again, it had been crowded with people wanting to catch up with each other._

_Maybe my life is supposed to be like this. Maybe mother is supposed to be gone. It is another way of learning to be on your own._

_If I did lose mother, I also gained some people in my life. I gained Nell, Eliza, Eliza's nephews, Nathaniel, and a lot of other people too. Maybe I will be alright with them. I have people who love me in my life and that's all I need._

**(Please review!)-( PRETTY PWEASE!*Little girl on floor begging.*)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- I do not own fever 1793; Laurie Anderson Does. *sigh***

_November 10, 1793_

"_When unhappy, one doubts everything; when happy, one doubts nothing."_

_-Joseph Roux (French artist), 1725-1793 _

_The days passed more rapidly after I realized I have each person in my life. I know that Eliza and everyone else figured out about my life moment of personal recognition._

_As I smelled the lovely smell of freshly brewed coffee, the first pair of customers piled in. Their happiness of the fever ending rubbed a little on me. Eliza and could not be happier that the fever had ended, but we also have the heavy burden of how many it killed. Those days are behind us though. Slowly but surely I believe I am really getting over it._

_Then, when another customer walks in, it breaks me from my thoughts. I look up from my coffee to see who it is. The person I recognize instantly, Nathaniel. For the other past few days he has been standing there for me._

"_Hello." He says as he strides over to me._

"_Hello Nathaniel." Eliza says, suddenly coming from nowhere ", How are the Peales?" _

_Nathaniel smiles a blissful smile._

"_They're doing fine Ma'am."_

_Eliza smiles at Nathanial and starts to walk away from us, muttering on the way._

"_That boy is going to eat us out of house and home." _

"_She may be right." Nathaniel states to me._

_I smile, unable to hold it in._

"_The reason I came in today is to see if you would want to see another balloon fly." He said to me._

_I sigh. _

"_I can't come. Eliza needs help in the coffeehouse."_

_Then, suddenly, Eliza appears out of nowhere, again._

"_Matilda Cook, I know you want to go see that balloon. I can handle the coffeehouse alone; you go to that balloon release."_

"_But Eliza—"_

"_No buts Matilda, you are going."_

_She then sets down a list of chores._

"_But," She says "You have to do your chores first." _

_She walks away with Nathaniel and me staring after her. _

"_I consider she wants us to go to it." Nathaniel says._

_I laugh and Nathaniel joins in._

_The rest of the day goes in a kind of haze. We might have had the largest crowd we've ever had and I still would not have noticed. I was so excited for that day. _

_Eliza has been like a mother to me since mother's… disappearance. She orders me around, and makes and helps me do chores. But, I do not mind at all. Actually, it's the only thing I look forward to every day. It reminds me of mother. It is the only thing of her that I have left._

_Just as Nathaniel left, little Nell came down for breakfast. She tries to jump up in her seat, but I end up having to help her. _

_She is like the little sister I never got to have. She looks down at her plate then looks back up at me. I then remember I hadn't made breakfast for her yet. I grab a pan and began to prepare breakfast._

_The balloon launch wasn't held that week, due to the cold weather, and the rain. It didn't drizzle, it started to hail. This is another reason the launch didn't happen. I wasn't mad about the cold weather or the hail. I was thankful for the cold weather. It keeps the fever away. The first frost had destroyed the fever… so far. I just hope that it won't come back. _

_The launch was then rescheduled for next week. I couldn't wait for the next week. Nathaniel and I were getting restless because we wanted to see that balloon float up in the air, and then disappear into the clouds where we couldn't see it any more. That was what happened last time. But I am also hoping that something unexpected would happen. Maybe the balloon would drop some streamers or at least do something that didn't happen last time. Maybe I am being too hopeful. _

_Really I wouldn't care if nothing happened differently than last time. I am very happy of being able to get to see it again._

_I watched as the days slowly turned into the next. Slowly awaiting the day I would get to see the launch. I could see it was affecting Nathaniel. He was nervous about the imminent release. We both certainly couldn't wait to see it._

_Then, the day finally came._

"_So, I hear the launch is today. I hope you have a good time." Eliza states to me as she washes our dishes after breakfast._

"_I don't know Eliza… I really think I should stay here and help you with the coffeehouse." _

"_Nonsense, you go and see the launch with Nathaniel. I'll be fine on my own." She states this while she carries the clean dishes to the open window pane. _

_Eliza has a thing about keeping her promises. Precisely after I contemplate this, Nathaniel enters the coffeehouse._

"_Are you ready to leave?" He asks me in fast voice._

"_Definitely, just let me tell Eliza."_

_As we get to the square, where they are holding the launch, we see the balloon; A huge blue and green striped balloon. It hovers over the ground with a string attached to keep it to stay on the ground. The string would be cut when it was time for the balloon to be released._

_We see many people. A lot of people want to see the release._

_Then, suddenly, we hear the crowd roar. The balloon's been launched! _

"_Look Mattie!" Nathaniel yells, pointing at the balloon. We were just in time._

_The balloon rises slowly, but surely. It made the crowd roar more and more as it got higher and higher. It looked glorious in the air. The clouds started to cover some of the balloon and we all knew it would disappear in a matter of minutes._

_But, the balloon didn't disappear fast enough. Suddenly, we watch as something falls out of the balloon. We all knew what fell out of the balloon; a person. _

**(I am writing another chapter; note the cliffhanger. PLEASE R&R!)-( I have a plan to write a new chapter every month.)**


	3. Chapter 3!

**A/N: Finally! My writer's block is no more. **

**November 10, 1793**

"_**Death… is only the beginning."-**_ _**Maxim-lien Robespierre-(One of the leaders from the French Revolution.) *A lot of people have used this quote in history, but this guy seems to be the first one to think of it* I don't own it.**_

_Everyone stares as the balloon comes fatally toward us. People our screaming all around me. It is absolutely horrifying. Then we hear a man yell from the crowd of people,_

"_Thief! That is a thief! The pilot never got in the balloon!" Everyone is shocked. People start to not care if the person dies, including Nathaniel. _

_I can't but feel sorry for the sad person. The person is hurtling towards his or her death in a stolen air balloon. I start to study the balloon. You can definitely see a person trying their best to stop the balloon._

_Wait, is their another person in the balloon? My mind goes into frenzy. If you look really close you can see that there are two people in the falling balloon. The air balloon is getting closer and closer to the ground. And then when it's about to crash into the fish market, it stops right above it._

_I cheer silently to myself, but unfortunately, it seems like I am the only one who is happy._

_The police surround the stolen balloon as the steadily lands it. I see the fellow and the older lady exit the balloon and both get detained on the spot. The lady looks oddly familiar. She looks sick and very weak; however her eyes say she could take down anyone who stands in her way._

_She looks over at Nathaniel and me, and then her face lightens up._

"_Mattie!" She shrieks over at us._

_Realization dawns on me. "Mother?"_

_**A/N: Oh… I left it on a cliffhanger… sort of. Sorry guys, it's just hard not to. So what do you think? Hate; love? I would love to hear more on the love part! You know what to do! R&R!**_

_**Thanks to everyone who has supported this story! You guys made this chapter possible!**_


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